Research summaries

While caste factor keeps playing a key role in Indian politics, especially in the Hindi heartland, the research paper of Dr Sushil Kumar Pandey, a faculty of history at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow, delves deep into the phenomenon in Uttar Pradesh. He completed his PhD on the topic ‘Role of Castes in Uttar Pradesh Politics – A Historical Perspective 1950-1991’ from Lucknow University in 2005.

In his research “Indentured Labour from India to Mauritius”, Alok Sinha detailed the origin, condition, causes and scale of poor, and sometimes outcaste, Indians who were forced to or lured into what was terms as ‘new slavery’ in several colonies across the world.

Did his failure to fully grasp the deep-rooted nature of communal tensions play a role in his inability to achieve lasting Hindu-Muslim unity? Avijit Ghosh had explored the issue in some detail in his Master of Philosophy dissertation submitted to Jawahar Lal Nehru’s School of Social Sciences in 1991. Here's an authorised summary of his dissertation.

The social legitimacy of the informal power structure in rural areas, based on field findings, highlights the coexistence of formal and informal power structures. It explores the role of local deities, the marginalisation of certain groups, and the impact of modernisation on participation and representation.

This essay explores the link between epistemicide and development practices, specifically focusing on the cultivation of indigo dye during the colonial and post-colonial periods in India. It examines the impact of synthetic indigo dye, the oppressive colonial apparatus, the epistemological privilege of modern science, the role of the post-colonial state, policy neglect, and the lack of recognition for epistemological diversity.

Coconut shells are a waste product that can replace coarse aggregates in concrete up to 10%, maintaining strength. They improve thermal insulation, density, and acoustics, although reducing workability. Using recycled coconut shells reduces the demand for natural resources and contributes to a greener world.

The article explores the historical portrayal of disability in comics and sequential art, highlighting the emergence of a new representation that explores illness and caregiving. It examines the connection between identity and voice in Georgia Webber's comic series, Dumb, and raises the concern of whether alternative ways of expressing and communicating are acknowledged and heard similarly to one's voice.

The study examines the relationship between the Rorschach Comprehensive System’s Suicide Constellation and Personality Assessment Inventory, finding reliable indicators of suicidality among the subjects. The majority show low average levels of suicidality and demonstrate flexibility in thinking and adaptability.

Living in anticipation of dispossession impacts villagers in the reservoir area. Government logic on development projects disregards people's refusal to move. Compensation cannot fully redress the loss and cultural ramifications of dispossession. Granular and textured understanding of the socio-cultural impact, resistance, socio-economic impact, marginalized communities, and systemic injustice is crucial.

Achieving Universal Elementary Education requires children to enroll and 'survive' in school for at least eight years despite weak financial positions and a cumulative cycle of multiple deprivations. Factors impeding successful completion are manifold, reinforcing each other to magnify disadvantages. Household characteristics and supply side factors affect the completion of eight years of elementary schooling.

The Stockholm convention of 1972 highlighted the urgent need for rational action to protect Mother Nature. Human-centred environmental destruction, CO2 concentration, and economic expansion are linked to environmental degradation. Cooperation, knowledge sharing, and green technology are crucial for achieving environmental resilience in Asia and globally.

This book discusses India's Look East Policy transformation into the Act East Policy, emphasizing physical connectivity and mobility in the Northeastern Region. It highlights the importance of private sector involvement and the role of Northeastern states in India's emergence as a global power.

This empirical analysis examines contract farming in Punjab, revealing exploitative companies with trends like default in procurement, low prices, and lack of extension services. Skepticism arises from the informal nature of contracts, especially for Basmati paddy. Despite this, farmers are willing to continue if the government enforces a strong legal framework.

This article discusses the intersection of climate change and literature, exploring how literary works contribute to climate change awareness and advocacy. It examines seminal works such as Bill McKibben's "The End of Nature" and Lawrence Buell's exploration of environmental literature in "The Environmental Imagination.

This article explores the Indian Punjab government's efforts in promoting agricultural diversification through contract farming. It highlights the limited effectiveness of current policies, particularly in market institutions and pricing, resulting in insufficient income for diversified farm households. The examination of the Punjab Contract Farming Act 2013 questions the government's interventionist approach. The article recommends strengthening infrastructure, marketing, pricing structures, and identifying region-specific crops for successful diversification.

This paper analyzes the impact of environmental regulation on Indian cement firms' technical efficiency. It compares firms' efficiency scores in scenarios with and without regulation. The study uses data from the Annual Survey of Industries for 2003-2004 and 1999-2000. The results show that firms under effective regulation have higher or equal efficiency scores, resulting in a higher average industry efficiency.

This article discusses inclusive education, which provides services to children with special needs in neighborhood schools. It explores the laws and policies for persons with disabilities in India, the accessibility of infrastructural facilities, and home-based education. It also addresses the issues of stigma and discrimination faced by children with special needs in Hoshiarpur district.

This article discusses the importance of self-regulated learning strategies in the present world, specifically within the academic environment. The research titled 'Effect of self-regulated learning strategies on learning outcomes, educational anxiety, and motivational beliefs of IX graders' examines the impact of these strategies on students' achievement in science, motivational beliefs, and educational anxiety.

This paper explores the impact of subnational indicators on COVID-19 management during three time periods (August to November 2020) in India, Mexico, and the USA. Using meta-frontier analysis and DEA, it finds increasing efficiency in crisis management over time. USA states consistently outperform others. Finance, development, and governance indicators at the subnational level affect COVID-19 performance to varying degrees, revealed through exploratory median analysis.

This paper examines the voices of Muslim and Hindu women in India and Bangladesh against discriminatory Personal Laws. It discusses the organizations and NGOs in Mumbai and Bangladesh that are fighting for women's rights. The study highlights the importance of women's organizations in bringing about structural changes and challenging traditional religious leadership.

This paper explores small farmers' involvement in contract farming in Punjab, India, where medium and large farms dominate. It addresses the lack of research on inclusiveness in modern farming arrangements. The study reveals differences in education, machinery ownership, and landholdings between contract and non-contract farmers. While small farmers are generally excluded from contract farming, selectivity bias exists without a significant impact on farm income.

This paper examines the global imbalances, US current account deficit, China's current account surplus, and Germany's current account surplus since the 2008 financial crisis. It argues that the US should not use its bilateral trade deficits with developing economies as an excuse to undermine the multilateral trading system. The study utilizes IMF data up to 2020 and highlights the shrinkage of global demand due to the decline in the US current account deficit. It also notes the decrease in China's current account surplus and the significant increase in Germany's current account surplus.

This article discusses the assumption in gender historiography that methodical works on gender, gender equity, and sexuality were first initiated by Europeans. It also explores the projection of western precedents as fair examples when analyzing non-normative gender constructions. The article mentions various sources, including Greco-Roman literature and the Renaissance, as well as the recognition of distinct categories of individuals in classical western medical literature. It highlights the presence of similar references in Japanese and Indian historical traditions, specifically focusing on the third gender as a historical reality based on textual references in ancient texts and Jain monastic jurisprudence.

This article discusses the potential threat of monkeypox virus (MPXV) as a global outbreak and emphasizes the need for accelerated viral genomic research for prevention and treatment strategies. Using high-quality isolates from the GISAID database, researchers identified four major clusters of MPXV based on genomic analysis. The study also revealed a distinct evolutionary lineage for the first MPXV isolate and a complex epidemiology and evolution of MPXV strains worldwide.

Mewat, a disadvantaged district in northern India, is facing various challenges related to groundwater and climate change. Some parts of the district are experiencing extremely saline groundwater, making it unusable for drinking or irrigation. This has led to households spending a significant portion of their income on purchasing drinking water. Women and girls in economically weaker households spend a lot of time fetching water, impacting their education and overall development. Climate change and lack of freshwater for irrigation have also reduced crop productivity and farm income. Different farmers perceive the impacts differently, and adaptation measures vary based on their backgrounds. Lack of awareness, education, skills, and livelihood opportunities are barriers to climate change adaptation, while institutional and infrastructural support can facilitate the process.

This book provides a global perspective on health promotion strategies, with a focus on South Asia. It discusses the importance of healthy behaviors at the individual and community levels and explores various theories, interventions, and approaches to promote healthy behavior. The book also highlights the impact of policy and sustainable ways of behavior change, providing case studies and evidence-based solutions to key public health issues.

Globally, a large number of girls are still out-of-school, posing challenges to achieving quality education and gender equality. In India, around 12.4% of children aged 5 to 17 are out-of-school, with higher rates for girls and in rural areas. Socioeconomic disparities also exist, with poorer and backward caste girls being the most vulnerable. Northern and western states have more out-of-school girls compared to southern states, suggesting the need to learn from successful practices in the south. Strengthening the public education system is crucial, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Human health is a complex interplay of biological, behavioral, nutritional, social, political, economic, environmental, and technological factors. These factors are interconnected and influence each other, and they must be considered together to achieve comprehensive and sustainable health outcomes. By recognizing the interconnectedness of these factors, we can build broad societal consensus on the actions needed to create a healthier society for present and future generations.

Researchers have successfully generated a new antitubercular drug called 24-desmethylrifampicin. This drug showed better antibacterial activity against drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis compared to rifampicin. The study used a combined genetic-synthetic strategy to modify the rifamycin polyketide backbone and create new rifamycin analogs. The emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis has created a need for new drugs to overcome this problem.

Financial literacy is crucial for individuals to effectively plan their finances and make investments. Recent studies suggest that financial planning and investments are particularly important for women, given their longer average lifespan. Women, who have traditionally lagged in financial matters, are now actively participating in financial planning and making investment decisions. A new study aims to examine the financial planning and investment behavior of working women in the education sector.